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Accreditation

In the United States, accreditation is a non-governmental, peer-review process that assures the quality of the postsecondary education students receive. Educational institutions or programs volunteer to undergo this review periodically to determine if certain criteria are being met.

It is important to understand, however, that accreditation is not a ranking system. It is simply assurance that a program or institution meets established quality standards.

There are two types of accreditation: institutional and specialized.

Institutional accreditation evaluates overall institutional quality. One form of institutional accreditation is regional accreditation of colleges and universities.

Specialized accreditation examines specific programs of study, rather than an institution as a whole. This type of accreditation is granted to specific programs at specific levels. Architecture, nursing, law, medicine, and engineering programs are often evaluated through specialized accreditation.

ABET, Inc. is responsible for the specialized accreditation of educational programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology.

Oregon State University

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) provides institutional accreditation for Oregon State University.

College of EngineeringSchool of Nuclear Science and Engineering

ABET, Inc. provides specialized accreditation for the following programs in the College of Engineering's School of Nuclear Science and Engineering.